Cecilia "Dugan" Husbands Menard

Cecilia Husbands Menard, 84, of Chapel Hill, NC, formerly of Ipswich, MA, passed away unexpectedly on May 27, 2022. Celia, or Dugan, as she was known to family and childhood friends, was born at Duke Hospital in 1937 to Benjamin and Lenore Cecilia (née McDermon) Husbands, both now deceased. She was the middle of three children, with an older brother, Col. Herman H. Husbands (Sally) of San Diego, CA, and a younger sister, Lynda R. Alfson (John) of Orange Park, FL, both of whom she loved dearly.

Celia graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1955. She made her debut at the North Carolina Debutante Ball at the Terpsichorean Club in Raleigh in 1956, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in European Literature and History and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1959. Celia later went on to receive her MBA, with a focus in Accounting, from Babson College in 1980.

In the summer of 1960, Celia left a secretarial position at Carolina and began her life of travel and adventure when she took part in the University of Oslo’s International Summer School in Norway. There, she fell in love with Europe, and remained in the area when the summer program ended, teaching English at the Fremdsprachen-Schule in Hamburg, Germany, becoming fluent in German, and making lifelong friends.

Upon her return to the States at the end of 1961, Celia boarded a train to California where she met Arthur Menard of Newton Upper Falls, MA, who was a LTJG stationed at the naval base on Treasure Island in San Francisco. They married in May of 1962 in the Catholic Chapel at Treasure Island, and soon moved to Newton, where they lived for several years. During this time, Celia became a social worker, a profession she continued when the couple moved for a short time to Philadelphia, PA. They then moved to Rockport, MA, where she gave birth to her beloved children, Deirdre Menard of Bedford, NH, and Christian Menard (Tiffany) of Coeur d’Alene, ID. Shortly after the birth of her children, the family moved to Ipswich, MA.

In Ipswich, Celia worked first as an accountant, and later as a real estate appraiser, but her real passions were caring for her children, cooking, travel, and time spent with her wonderful group of Ipswich friends. Her dinner parties were legendary, culminating with her annual Christmas party where, despite being a Type I diabetic, she spoiled everyone else with a dozen or more phenomenal desserts every year.

Celia had absolute taste and style. The words “Europe, chardonnay, and shoes” would immediately bring her to mind of anyone who knew her. Throughout her lifetime, Celia filled her passports with stamps from Europe, South America, Africa, and, in her late 60s, the Galapagos, a trip she remembered particularly fondly. She was proud to have instilled in her children that same love of travel, as well as her appreciation for public television, foreign films, fine art, and literature.

Celia unconditionally adored her grandchildren, Noel Menard of Herndon, VA, and Cullen Menard, Linden Menard, and Boden Menard, all of Coeur d’Alene, ID. She was so proud of all of them, and loved going on outings with them, sewing for them, reading to them, and making pancakes for them in the morning during visits. It is impossible to overstate how devoted she was to them or how much she loved them.

In 2013, Celia moved back to Chapel Hill from Ipswich to be near friends whom she had remained close with since she was a young child. During this time, she became active with Chapel Hill High School and Carolina reunions, and continued to travel well into her 70s.

Celia is missed, mourned, and loved.

In addition to her private cremation in Raleigh, a private mass for close friends and family will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, followed by a celebration of her life.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Joslin Diabetes Clinic.

Service arrangements are being provided by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.